


I’ve Been Around for a Long, Long Year

by Aerica_Menai



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Asexual Relationship, Fluff, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 17:35:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21257045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aerica_Menai/pseuds/Aerica_Menai
Summary: The first Halloween post-the-Apocalypse-that-wasn't - and Anathema is hosting a Halloween party.





	I’ve Been Around for a Long, Long Year

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Halloween!
> 
> Title is from Sympathy for the Devil by the Rolling Stones.
> 
> Beta'd by the ever-marvelous and wonderful @grayraincurtain <3

It had been a few months since the Apocalypse-that-wasn’t when Aziraphale received something…unexpected. “I didn’t know the postman even delivered here,” Crowley said half-mockingly, half-awed as Aziraphale gazed at the letter addressed to “the entity that owns A.Z. Fell’s bookshop.” 

“Entity, really?” the angel muttered to himself as he opened it. Inside was an invitation to a Halloween party, as well as a handwritten note: “I scried the best place for this invitation to reach both of you. I hope you’re doing well. Anathema Device.”

Aziraphale was excited for the party, stating he had the perfect costume in mind and it would be wonderful to see Anathema again, such a lovely girl – but Crowley stayed suspiciously quiet as the angel trailed off. “You…don’t want to go?”

Crowley groaned. He really didn’t want to have this argument, but…“No, angel, I really don’t. I like handing out candy to the little monsters going around, and I was really looking forward to it this year,” he grumbled. Aziraphale had forgotten how much the demon enjoyed handing out candy on Halloween, miracling up the largest candy bars on the block – ostensibly an act of evil, ensuring maximum sugar-fueled chaos caused by each child, but the angel knew better. He thought for a moment. “Well, my dear, the party doesn’t start until 10 pm, and it should be dark much earlier than that…you can always hand out candy here until the party and meet me at Anathema’s when it’s time. And I bet if you bring extra candy, we know that, at the very least, Adam and his friends live in the neighborhood – I’m sure there will be other children there as well, and you can keep spreading the chaos.”

Crowley continued to grumble, but Aziraphale could tell the idea was slowly growing on him. The angel let him stew for a few hours, misting and threatening the few plants Aziraphale begrudgingly let him move into the bookshop.

“Fine,” Crowley eventually grumbled, “I’ll come. But I’m not wearing a costume!” 

Aziraphale’s grin was blinding. “Fair enough, dear,” the angel chirped, and trundled off to write his reply. …And figure out how to send it back.

***

A few days later, the Them were visiting Anathema’s, to help her with taste-testing the menu for the Halloween party she was hosting. They were trying to convince her that, as a real witch, she should have real, flesh ladies fingers, actual dirt, real worms, actual brains – basically, any spooky food substitution was an insult to her heritage. Anathema was explaining for the fifth time that that wasn’t witchcraft, it was just gross, not to mention illegal. Her speech was interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell - the mailman had brought the post. Anathema was surprised to see an envelope postmarked London; she hadn’t really expected them to reply at all, much less agree to come. “Guess who’s coming to dinner,” she muttered to herself. 

But the Them heard and started guessing – “The Queen!” “Emma Watson!” “Ringo Starr!” cried three of the Them, but Adam stayed quiet, waiting to hear what Anathema has to say. 

“Mr. Fell and Mr. Crowley,” said Anathema. 

Adam smiled. “Then it’s going to be quite a Halloween.”

***

It was All Hallows Eve. Aziraphale’s moth costume – those book-eating monsters! – had received far more coos of “adorable!” than flinches or shrieks of fear, as he had expected. He was a little miffed, but accepted his fate. 

Crowley’s laughter when he opened the door to the for the bookshop stung, but he rallied. “At least I’m wearing a costume, Crowley. You look exactly the same.”

“Not exactly…” hissed Crowley smugly, tongue flickering. “I’m me posssesssed by the ghossst of a sssnake!” The angel noticed that in addition his hissing and forked tongue, Crowley wasn’t wearing his glasses, leaving his yellow snake eyes bare to the world.

“Crowley!” Aziraphale gasped. “How on earth are you going to explain those??”

Crowley crowed, “Special effects contact lenses! I love advances in human technology,” he sighed happily.

***

The children were all delighted by Crowley’s “costume,” asking over and over how he got his tongue to look forked like that, and where he got his contacts. Crowley just winked and drawled, “It’s a secret.” 

Aziraphale’s costume, however, received sniffs of disdain or confusion – questions like “are you a butterfly?” were met with explanations of moths and their monstrous book-eating ways. At this, the children just gave him disbelieving looks. Eventually the angel huffed off to the back of the bookshop until it was time to go to Anathema’s; surely someone there would appreciate his costume!

***

Alas, no one really did. Anathema started giggling when she saw him (not that she had much room to judge, what kind of witch dressed as a witch for Halloween? Aziraphale thought snidely) and Newt (in a rather dashing suit, although he had oddly paired it with rather casual-looking sneakers) had guessed the angel was wearing a butterfly costume as well, and only nodded confusedly when Aziraphale explained. 

Adam and his friends all looked very different but they assured him they were all dressed as characters from…a marvelous universe? (Something like that. Aziraphale would have to ask Crowley later.) They listened politely as the angel explained his own costume – “I’m a moth, a book-eating monster!” – but when he finished, they had suggestions for how to make his costume scarier: fangs, fake blood, glowing eyes, destroyed books! That last one made Aziraphale flinch, but he rallied. 

“You just need to apply your imagination,” he sniffed. At that, Adam’s eyes gleamed with mischief, and the angel found himself with a mouthful of bloody fangs. Crowley laughed himself silly when he saw, and gave Adam an extra-large candy bar.

***

At the end of the party, Aziraphale and Crowley thanked their hosts (enthusiastically and begrudgingly, respectively) and received a promise for invitations next year. “Next year,” the angel mused out loud, savoring the fact that they did indeed have another year ahead of them, time still stretching on. Time he and Crowley could spend together.

When Crowley pulled the Bentley up in front of the bookshop, the angel asked if he wanted to come in. “I found a delightful cocoa mix, it comes with marshmallows shaped like bats!” 

Crowley smirked. “As long as it isn’t pumpkin-spice flavored.”

Aziraphale wrinkled his nose in horror. “One of yours, I take it?”

“Oh, obviously.”

And so they sipped their cocoa in silence, just enjoying each others’ company. The angel started to think about how much time they actually spent together, almost every night in addition to most days, now that neither Heaven nor Hell were looking over their shoulders. “You know, my dear,” Aziraphale mused out loud, “we really should just move in together.” Crowley, who had just taken a rather large sip of cocoa, spat it out on the floor.

“Really, Crowley?” the angel muttered disapprovingly as he miracled it clean. 

Crowley just sputtered. “But…but…boundaries!”

Aziraphale frowned. “Do you and I have boundaries?”

Crowley floundered for a moment before muttering, “You certainly used to…”

The angel flushed guiltily at that. “Would it help if I said I was worried about what would happen to you, if either Heaven or Hell had found out?” 

Crowley rubbed his mouth. “A little.” 

Aziraphale’s eyes softened. “If I’m moving too fast for you…”

Crowley laughed bitterly. “Oh, how the tables have turned,” he snarked, before relenting. “Soon,” he muttered. “Soon, but not yet.” 

The angel smiled. “Fair enough. I have the time to be patient.” And so they enjoyed the peace they had fought so desperately to earn, looking forward to the days to come.

**Author's Note:**

> For those who are interested, the Halloween costumes Aziraphale sort-of explained were: Newt as the Tenth Doctor, and the Them were all from Marvel movies - Adam as a young Peter Quill, Pepper as Monica Rambeau (aka Lt. Trouble) from Captain Marvel, Wesley as Spider-Man and Brian as the Hulk.


End file.
